Blocking
by HazzaG
Summary: Loki is captured by S.H.E.I.L.D and brought to the Avengers Tower where Tony and Bruce try to block his magic. However, things get complicated when Tony finds out why Loki had returned to Earth. FrostIron, Clintasha and Science Bros
1. Chapter 1

Loki was unconscious. A cut on his forehead was dripping blood down his face, and his cape was ripped and dirty. A pair of agents was holding him under the shoulders and set him down on Tony's workbench, shoving various contraptions out of the way as they did so.  
'What the fuck!', blurted Tony. This was not what he wanted today. He just wanted to recover from a particularly nasty hangover, and now there was a fucking demigod in his house.  
'This is what happens if you don't answer our calls', replied Fury. 'We caught him down in Washington and needed somewhere close to hold him.'  
'Well why're you here?'  
'This is the fucking AVENGERS TOWER, Tony. I lost a lot of good men today, so do not go bitching to me about this', said Fury, voice rising and eyes flashing. Tony looked away, not wanting to meet Fury's eyes.  
'Well what do you want me to do?', he mumbled, not wanting to admit he was wrong - he is Tony Stark after all - but wanting to move on.  
'Look at his magic. See if you can work out something to block it or something'  
'What - permanently you mean?'  
'If you can'. Fury pressed a finger to his communicator, nodding to an unseen message. 'We've set up a room for him. It should hold him if he regains his magic - for a short time anyway'.  
'Wait - "regains"? What did you do?'  
Fury didn't reply. Instead he strode out the door, signaling to the agents to bring Loki with him. Tony sank back into a chair. 'Jarvis. Coffee. Now.'  
'It's already made, sir'. Tony walked over to the coffee machine where, sure enough, there was a delicious black coffee waiting for him. He cupped his hands around it as if drawing strength from the warmth and slumped into a chair.  
'It's too early for this shit'  
'It's two in the afternoon, sir. No one but you would consider that "early"', came Jarvis's slightly mocking voice.  
'It's always too early for a homicidal demigod in your workshop, Jarvis', replied Tony, and a sharp edge to his voice signaled that Jarvis shouldn't reply. Tony sighed and took a long sip of coffee, not caring if it burnt his tongue.  
'I can imagine that it would be. . . disturbing, sir'  
'Shut up, Jarvis', said Tony wearily. He didn't want to admit that Jarvis was right. Didn't want to admit how unnerving it was to have Loki show up again, just when the nightmares were stopping, just when he was beginning to feel safe again. No one knew that of course, not even Pepper. 'I'm Tony fucking Stark', he whispered to himself, 'I'm Iron Man. I'm not scared of anything'.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, I just realised how pitifully short my first chapter is, so here's another one :) Please be kind, it's my first attempt at writing fanfiction**

Fury had put Loki in Bruce's cell in the hopes that it would be able to contain him again. Loki was slumped on the floor. Tony had been watching him for the past few minutes, checking if he was moving. Not in person of course. Tony was in his workshop, trying to repair a stabilizer that had been knocked onto the floor when Loki was dumped on his bench.

'Sir, Miss Potts is requesting access', came Jarvis's voice.

'Make her go away'

'She told me to inform you that she has shwarma'. Tony hesitated. Talking was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but he was pretty hungry.

''K, fine, let her in', he grumbled. Jarvis opened the workshop door and Pepper strode in and banged a plate of shwarma in front of Tony.

'Do you want to explain yourself Tony?', she said. 'You have never locked me out of your workshop before, and this is. . .'. Pepper trailed off as Tony raised his head and looked her in the eyes. 'Oh, Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't think', she mumbled softly as she reached across the bench and squeezed his hand.

'It's ok. I'm fine. Fine. Why wouldn't I be?', Tony snapped, pulling away from her and walking over to the bar.

'He threw you off a building, Tony. You almost died.'

'I said I'm fine!'. Tony's voice had risen so he was almost shouting now. 'You can't just come in here and act all concerned and shit because there's nothing to be concerned about, Pepper. I'm Tony fucking Stark. I'm fine'. Tony turned back to the bar and poured himself a drink to the sound of Peppers heels walking out the door.

'I fucked that up, didn't I, Jarvis'. Jarvis remained tactfully silent. Tony looked at his whisky for a moment then put it down and sighed. 'Jarvis, pull up the video feed of when Loki was in the tower. And do scans of him. I want to know if there's anything weird going on that we can use against him'.

'Yes, sir. Also, Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton are attempting to break into the tower. What would you like me to do about it?'

'Where are they?'

'They are currently in a vent on the basement level.'

'Why the fuck are they in there?'

'I assume it has something to do with Loki, sir.'

'Get them to come here'

'Yes, sir'

Natasha Romanoff strode into the workshop with Barton trailing a few steps behind, acting very much like a kicked puppy. It was obvious that they'd been arguing, both from the expressions on their faces and the (very entertaining) security footage Tony had been watching. 'Any particular reason why you were attempting to break into my tower?', he asked with a smirk.

'We're supervising Loki, and Clint wanted a challenge', replied Natasha with an angry, but somehow flirtatious, glare at Clint.

'Sure, blame me. It's not like you wanted to try as well or anything', shot back Barton with a wink.

'Right, break up the love-fest guys, you've got a job to do', groaned Tony with a smile. It had been a while since he'd seen Natasha and Barton, and the trivial banter was helping distract him from the Pepper fiasco.

'Speaking of which, aren't you meant to be doing something?'

'Calm down, Natasha, I'm on it. I've been scanning the footage from when Loki was in the tower and I've noticed something very interesting. See, Loki's magic gives off this. . . disturbance. It affects gamma particles, and the stronger his magic is the more it affects the particles'. Tony paused to check that Natasha and Clint understood. Natasha nodded at him to continue, but Clint was obviously lost. Tony sighed and continued anyway. 'When Loki was getting the crap kicked out of him by the Hulk his magic was giving off least disturbance. I think the gamma particles surrounding the Hulk affect his magic, and if we can mimic that it could weaken or disable Loki's magic'.

'Fantastic!', enthused Clint

'No. Not fantastic', said a grim-faced Natasha. Clint looked at her, puzzled. 'We'd need to get Bruce down here'. Clint still hadn't caught on. 'With Loki?'

'Oh. . .'

'Yeah, not sure how that's going to work, so Natasha, Clint, I'm making it your job to get Bruce down here'. Tony grinned and made a shoo gesture. 'Get going. I'm not paying you to stand around and look confused'.

'No, you pay us 'cos Natasha looks damn fine in that suit', Clint smirked. Natasha punched him in the arm as she walked past him to the door. 'Hey! Ow, that was actually quite hard'. Natasha just rolled her eyes and grinned back at him.

'Man up, Clint. Now come on'

'See you later, Tony'. Tony waved goodbye and turned back to the monitor after they left.


	3. Chapter 3

Loki was sitting on the floor now, fingering a rip in his cape. For a second Tony thought he should get him a chair, but why the hell should he? Sitting on the floor for a bit won't hurt him. But as Loki shifted his position and Tony saw that one of his legs was bent at an unnatural angle he felt guilty, because it was hurting him. He could see it now in the thin line of Loki's lips, and the slight sheen of sweat which was barely visible, even on the high definition monitors. Tony groaned and stood up. 'You better be grateful', he told the monitor.

His magic wasn't working. Loki could feel it swirling just out of reach, but when he reached for it it just skittered away. He still had his Asgardian facade up though, and was able to siphon a little magic of Odin's spell to help ease the pain of his broken leg. Not enough magic though. It was incredibly frustrating to sit here in agony, knowing that death was coming but being unable to prevent it or ease his suffering.

The door to the room Loki's cell was in opened. Tony stepped in, carrying a large duffel bag. 'Why hello, Man of Iron. Have you come to gloat?', Loki sneered.

'No, actually, I thought you looked a bit uncomfortable, so I, um, brought you this'.

'Brought me what, Stark. I have no patience for this', snapped Loki, noting how uncomfortable Tony looked. Tony keyed in a password and the door to Loki's cell opened.

'I have my gloves on, so don't even think about attacking me', Tony warned.

'Do I look capable of attacking you, Stark?', growled Loki. Tony stepped in the door, carefully keeping his distance. He opened the duffel bag and Loki caught a glimpse of white bandages before Tony shifted his position, unintentionally blocking that contents of the bag from his view. Tony came and knelt next to Loki's leg. 'What _are_ you doing, Stark', sneered Loki.

'I'm gonna fix your leg. I mean if you want to. It'll make it hurt less'. Loki waited for Tony continue, and then with mild surprise he realised that Tony was asking for his permission. He thought for a moment. It was a nasty break, and it would take many weeks to heal with the pitiful amount of magic he had. Loki hesitated for a moment and then gave a sharp nod.

'Ok, this is going to hurt', said Tony. Seeing the wary look in Loki's eyes he continued. 'It'll feel better once I'm finished.'

'Do what you will, Stark', came the reply. Loki was used to pain, and surely this would be nothing compared to what the Other subjected him to. Tony nodded and placed his hands on either side of the break, and then pulled and straightened out his leg. Loki hissed in pain and arched his back.

'That's the worst bit done', came Tony's voice through a haze of pain, and he placed a wooden pole next to Loki's leg and wound a bandage around it and his leg. 'That should keep it straight and make it heal faster'. Loki did not reply, and after an awkward moment Tony picked up his bag and left.

When Loki regained his senses he probed his leg with long, delicate fingers. Tony was right; his leg definitely hurt less now that it was immobilised. He leaned back against the wall and probed for his magic. It was closer now. It was still out of reach, but it didn't move away as quickly. If all went well he would regain his full powers within the week. He smiled to himself. He would make these Midgardians pay.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I haven't updated in ages guys. I've had a Chemistry test and a music performance, so I haven't had time :(**

'So how do we do this?'  
'We'll get him away from the city. Let him know we're coming. He should be fine.'  
Clint turned his head and looked at Natasha. She was silhouetted against the Dharka skyline. She turned her head and looked back at him when she sensed him watching her. He couldn't see her face in the moonlight, but he could tell by the tension in her shoulders that she was nervous.  
'He'll be fine. He trusts us'  
'He won't be happy that we're asking him to come back to New York'  
'He's been over to see Tony before'  
'Not with Loki's there'  
Natasha turned back to her binoculars  
'He's packing up his bag. I think he's leaving'  
'I've got the text ready'

Bruce stepped out into the humid night, softly humming a mindless tune. For the past two days he'd been trying to shake the nagging feeling that he was being followed, and he could only hope it was Natasha again. Sure enough, as soon as he was away from the apartment building his watch beeped twice as it received a text. He'd refused Tony's offer of a Stark Phone, but Fury had insisted that S.H.E.I.L.D had some way of contacting him, so Tony built a watch which could send and receive texts and phone calls. He hated to admit it, but it was very useful and fairly inconspicuous.  
Bruce ducked into the doorway of a dark shop and pressed a series of buttons. A text began scrolling along the screen.

_'C & N request meeting. Pre-arranged venue #11?'_

Bruce sighed. It was Clint and Natasha, and they wanted to meet at an old hotel on the outskirts of town.

_'There in 15. Am I being followed?'_

_'We haven't seen anyone, but be careful'_

Bruce stepped into the street and hailed a CNG - a three wheeled motorcycle taxi - and asked to be taken to a bar a few streets from where he was. At the bar he climbed out the toilet window and caught another CNG in a different direction. He changed taxis several more times, slowly zig-zagging his way toward the hotel. It was expensive and time consuming, but it was worth it to try and lose anyone who could be following him.

On the rooftop Natasha let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.  
'He's meeting us in quarter of an hour'. Natasha nodded.  
'We'd better get going'

Bruce arrived at the hotel exactly fifteen minutes later. He received another message the moment the CNG was out of sight. He stepped into the shadow of a tree and checked it

_'In Room 4, on the second floor. Come straight up'_

Bruce nodded to himself, and set off at a quick pace to the building. It may be isolated, but something about the openness of the surrounding land made him uneasy. There were no tall buildings to block rifle shots, no hidden alleyways to duck down, just one story houses and wide dirt roads.

There was nobody at the desk, so Bruce just went straight up the dingily lit, cluttered stairs to the second floor. He paused at the door of Room 4, wondering if he should knock or act like it was his room. Before he could make a decision, Clint pulled the door open and gestured for him to step into the room.

'Hey Bruce. How's it going?'

'Hey Clint, hey 'Tasha. I'm good. What brings you here?'. Bruce smiled at them, but it didn't reach his eyes. He knew if they had come to find him something had gone wrong.

'Hi Bruce. Look, I really don't like to do this, but you're needed in New York'. Natasha smiled apologetically, and Bruce knew she was sorry to be the one to drag him back into action.

'Why?'

'Loki's back'

**Thanks for reading guys, please review and let me know how I'm going :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce sat down on the bed heavily and put his head in his hands, breathing carefully to try and stay calm. 'What?'

'It's ok, Bruce, he's in captivity. He's at Tony's tower in New York'. Natasha bit her lip and looked at Clint, who was standing to the left and slightly behind her. Clint reached out and gently squeezed her hand. Natasha squeezed back and continued. 'Tony thinks his magic is affected by gamma radiation.'

'And no one knows gamma radiation like I do', Bruce said flatly, shaking his head. His neck had a slight green tinge, but as Natasha watched it faded until it was back to it's regular colour. He shook his head and straightened up. Clint dropped Natasha's hand and stepped forward and pulled Bruce to his feet.

'You ok, Bruce?'

'Yes, I'm fine now, just a bit of a shock. Why isn't he in Asgard'

'We don't know', said Natasha. 'He just turned up in D.C the other day'

'D.C? Why haven't I already heard about this on the news?'

'S.H.E.I.L.D's keeping it pretty quiet. It was nothing like New York - I can't tell you much, but it was a lot stealthier, and as far as we know he was working alone.'

'It made it a lot easier to cover up as well', said Clint. 'A few people saw Loki, but we managed to get to them before they told anyone'.

'So I'm going to New York to help Tony now?'

'Yeah. Do you need to get anything from your apartment?'

'Nah. I keep everything important in here' - Bruce tapped his bag - 'in case I ever need to leave in a hurry'.

'Good man', Clint said with a smile. 'We'll leave tonight.'

Bruce, Clint and Natasha stepped out of the helicarrier, blinking in the mid day sun.

'Bruce! How are you?'

'I'm good, Tony, how are you?'

'A lot worse since last Tuesday', Tony replied with a grim smile. 'I'm glad you could come', he said quietly, and Bruce saw the dark shadows under his eyes and new lines on his forehead and knew he was telling the truth.

Bruce looked over his shoulder at Clint and Natasha. They were talking to the S.H.E.I.L.D agents who came over to New York with them. 'Happy to help', he replied, pulling Tony into a hug. For a moment Tony resisted, but then hugged back before pulling away.

'Clint! Natasha! How was the flight?'. Tony strode toward the pair, sunglasses and smile in place.

'Long. Really bloody long'

'Are you to coming back to the tower with me and Brucie, or do you have S.H.E.I.L.D stuff to take care of?'. Natasha and Clint glanced at each other. Clint started to shake his head, but Natasha cut him off.

'We have paperwork to do, don't we Clint?', she said.

'Wha- oh! Yes, we have paperwork, lots of paperwork to do.'

'We'll come over tomorrow and make sure you guys are doing ok'.

'Ok, see you 'Tasha, Clint'

Bruce and Tony walked away from the helicarrier. Suddenly, Tony ducked behind a car, pulling Bruce with him. Holding a finger to his lips, Tony pointed back at Clint and Natasha. They were walking towards a storage building, arms around each other. Bruce turned to Tony in amazement, but Tony just poked him in the ribs, so he looked back in time to see Natasha and Clint separate from a kiss. Tony straightened up and prepared to yell something at them, but Bruce pulled him back down.

'Are you crazy?! They'll kill us', he said, only half joking. Tony just winked at Bruce before walking off to his car.

'I knew there was something going on there', he said gleefully, 'I called it, remember?'

'Yes, then Natasha punched you and you had the bruise for a week. Do you really want that again?'

'Ugh. Hey, are you hungry? I could really go for a bagel right now.'

'Tony, I'm far too tired. Could we just go back to the tower?'

Tony rolled his eyes. 'You're no fun. Come on then, get in.'

**This chapter was so hard to write! I couldn't get Clintasha going right, so sorry if it seems a bit off. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Bruce padded down the hallway, not bothering to tell Jarvis to turn the lights on. The light coming from Tony's workshop was plenty to see by, even at this hour. He typed in the passcode and the door slid open. Tony was sitting at a bench, chewing on a pen, watching a monitor.

'Hey'

'Oh, hey Bruce'. Tony looked over. His eyes were bleary and his hair was sticking up on one side, like he'd fallen asleep at his desk. 'Could you not sleep?'

'Already have. Bit jet-lagged'

'What time is it?'

'Not sure. Early. Do you have any coffee down here?'. Tony waved over to the corner of the room and Jarvis turned on the coffee machine. Within seconds it was ready, and Bruce gratefully took the steaming mug.

'What are you watching?'. Tony turned the monitor so Bruce could see it. It was Loki. He was standing perfectly still, staring at the camera.

'He's been like that for the past few hours. He's either staring at me or sleeping. Doesn't even eat.'

'I thought his leg was hurt. 'Tasha mentioned something about it.'

'It was. Bandaged it up on Tuesday. The other day he just took them off. Less than four days and he healed a broken leg. And that's with no magic'

'What happened to his magic?'

'I don't know details, but Fury got something from Asgard after last time, in case he came back. Some kind of potion or something like that'

'So how's it linked to gamma radiation?'. Tony waved a hand and the screen nearest Bruce lit up with information and graphs. Bruce started reading, nodding to himself.

'How did you work all this out?, he asked, sometime later.  
'I'm a genius. What do you expect?', said Tony with his trademark grin. He walked over to Bruce, stood behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. They looked at the screen together.

'You reckon we can do it?'. Bruce looked at Tony. He winked back at him, and Bruce rolled his eyes and turned back to the screen.

'Of course we can, Bruce. What can't we do?'

When Natasha and Clint arrived at the Stark Tower around lunchtime they found the two men fast asleep in the workshop. Tony was lying on the couch, arms and legs splayed, mouth open and snoring lightly. Bruce was sitting on a stool, slumped on a bench. He looked tense even when asleep, and he kept muttering under his breath.

'D'you reckon we should wake them up?', whispered Clint

'Nah'. Natasha grinned, 'Tony's so much cuter when he's not talking'

Clint turned to her, placing an arm around her waist. 'Not cuter than me, I hope', he murmured.

'Never cuter than you'. Natasha leaned in and softly kissed Clint. Suddenly, she spun around and looked at Tony, who was sitting up, wide awake now, with a massive grin on his face.

'I KNEW IT! I CALLED IT! BRUCE, BRUCE WAKE UP!'. Tony leapt over to Bruce and shook him awake.

'Wha- Tony, whats going on?'

'THEY WERE KISSING, BRUCE, THEY WERE KISSING!'

'Stop talking, or I will _end_ you, Tony'. Natasha spoke hissed, eyes flashing. Tony ran behind a work bench and grabbed a metal panel, holding it in front of him like a shield.

Bruce stepped between the pair. 'Ok, everyone calm down. Natasha, no hitting Tony. Tony, just. . . don't'.

Clint turned in exasperation and started pacing the room. Suddenly he stopped in front of a monitor. 'Where's Loki?', he asked.

'In the cell', replied Tony. 'Why?'.

Clint spun the monitor around. Loki's cell was empty.

**Dun dun dun! Finally got Loki back into it. Please review, it only takes a second :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! Sorry about the delay - I was going to get this done on the weekend, but then I couldn't think of what to do (ugh)**

_Two days earlier:_

Loki placed his hand on his leg. A small glow of magic appeared and sank into his leg, instantly knitting the bone together. He'd tried the spell before, but his magic was still too weak, even for this pitifully small spell.

He sighed and lay back on the stretcher Tony brought in the day before. It was strange to feel grateful to his captor, but Loki did. Tony had shown uncharacteristic empathy, he thought, wondering why. Or perhaps kindness toward prisoners was typical of these Midgardians, and his experience with SHIELD was an exception. Frustratingly, he had to admit that he didn't know. He didn't know nearly enough about this realm and it's strange inhabitants. He wanted to learn more about them, and about Tony in particular. Tony was important, he knew that much, but he didn't know why, which was what annoyed him most.

Why does it matter though?, he asked himself.

You need to know your enemy, came the easy, simple reply. The reply which disguised the messy, confusing emotions which he very much did not want to confront.

Loki stood up suddenly. He didn't want this, this endless waiting. He didn't even know what time it was. In two quick steps he crossed the room.

'Stark!', he called, banging a fist on the window on the front of the cell.

'Yes, Loki?', came a reply a long moment later. Loki spun around in surprise. It almost seemed like Tony's voice was in his cell. 'Loki?'. The voice came again, and this time Loki saw where it came from. There was a small black box in the corner of the cell.

'I require nourishment', he lied, addressing the box. There was a spell he cast a long time ago which prevented hunger, but he wanted Tony down here. For conversation. Intelligent conversation, which he sensed Tony would be capable of.

'What?'

'Food. Stark, I require food.'

No reply came, and after a moment Loki sat down on the bed, slightly hurting in a way that was all too familiar.

Ten minutes later Tony was standing in the hallway outside Loki's cell. He had a tray with fruit, pop tarts, sandwiches, coffee. . . probably far too much, but he didn't know what Loki would like. He wiped his palms on his pants and raised his hand to knock on the door, but then stopped. It was his house; he wasn't going to knock.

Loki looked up as Tony walked in. He was carrying a tray of food, but it was unlike any food Loki had seen before.

'Stark'

'Reindeer games'

'Why do you insist on calling me that, Stark?'

Tony rolled his eyes, and gave a hint of a grin. 'You seriously haven't figured that out yet? You're meant to be the clever one'

A brief smile flashed across Loki's face and he cleared his throat. 'What is. . .', he gestured to the tray, 'this?'

'You don't know what this stuff is?', Tony asked, surprised. He hadn't realised that Loki wouldn't know what the food was. He sat down on a chair and put the tray on the small table. 'Well, um, apple, pop tart, coffee', he said, pointing to the food as he said their names.

'Pop tart?'

'Yeah. Try it. It's good'

Loki picked up the pop tart with long slender fingers and ripped off a corner and put it in his mouth. He chewed for a moment and then smiled.

'You're right, Stark, this popped tart is good.'

Tony smirked. 'I thought you'd like it.'

'We - _They_ don't have food like this on Asgard.'

'Have you had coffee?'

Loki shook his head, puzzled.

'Try it', Tony said, gesturing to the steaming cup. Loki took it in two hands and raised it to his lips.

'I like this coffee too. Your Midgardian food is satisfactory, Stark.'

Tony smiled and stood up. 'If you need anything else just let me know', he said. Loki nodded, and Tony left.

Loki looked to the side and rubbed his forehead. He took another bite of the pop tart, but it didn't seem as good now. He sighed and put it down, wishing Tony hadn't left him alone again. He hated to admit it, but he enjoyed Tony's company. Tony made him feel something that he hadn't felt in a long time

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Present day_

Loki was collecting his magic. For the past two days he'd been focusing, drawing it in to him, for one spell which could get him out of this wretched cell. It was a huge spell, and needed a corresponding amount of magic to work. If it went properly he would become totally invisible, and when the Avengers came to investigate he would slip out the door and make his escape. There was so much which could go wrong, but he needed to do something, _anything_, to try and escape before S.H.I.E.L.D came back to try and get more information out of him.

Loki sensed that he finally had enough magic for the spell. It was a tedious process, which required infinite patience and concentration, but he was finally done. With enormous focus he closed his eyes and a blue mist rose up around his body. When the mist dissipated, his body was gone.

'Shit!', Tony said, suddenly filled with dread. 'Jarvis. Play the footage from when he was last in the cell'

'Yes, sir', came Jarvis's calm voice.

The large monitor at the front of the room came to life. Loki was shown on the screen, staring into the camera, not moving. Within a few seconds a blue mist appeared around him and then disappeared, along with Loki.

'Some kind of teleportation spell?', asked Natasha, biting her lip.

Tony shrugged with one shoulder. 'I hope not.'

'Jarvis, do every scan you can on that cell and display it on the monitor', he said a moment later. 'Bruce, you ok?'

Bruce didn't respond. He just stared at the workbench with enormous concentration, and Tony saw that the bench was beginning to bend where he was gripping it.

Scans were blinking across the screen. Thermal. Infra-red. X-ray. All showed the same thing; an empty cell.

'Can you scan with gamma particles?', Clint asked. 'Well it's worth a shot, isn't it?', he said defensively as the others looked at him.

Tony nodded and typed a command into his computer. A new image appeared on screen; Loki, pacing the cell.

'He in there?', grunted Bruce.

'Yes, Bruce. It's ok, he just went invisible or something', said Natasha soothingly. Bruce nodded.

'What should we do?', asked Clint

'Get S.H.I.E.L.D down here. Director Fury will want to know about this. In the meantime, Tony, you and Bruce keep an eye on the cell, let me and Clint know if anything happens. Clint, you head down to the cell. Don't go in there though; just wait in the hall outside. I'll contact S.H.I.E.L.D'. Natasha rattled the orders off seamlessly, easily taking charge. This was her element, what she was born to do. For a moment Tony looked like he was about to argue, but then he just nodded and looked away. 'Ok then', Natasha looked around. 'Lets go.'

**Apologies for the short chapter! Please review. **

**Also, check my tumblr out! i - like - this - ship. tumblr . com Just take all the spaces out of the url :)  
**


	9. Chapter 9

'Clint. Any sign?'

Clint shook his head and pressed a button on his earpiece.

'No. Nothing.'

'I'll see what Tony and Bruce are doing. Black Widow out'.

Natasha jogged down the hallway to the workshop. Tony and Bruce were frantically studying graphs and diagrams on the monitors. Natasha knocked on the door frame as she stepped through to alert them to her presence.

Tony looked over. 'Natasha. Any news?'

Natasha shook her head. 'Clint says there's no sign. Are you sure he's still in there?'

Bruce nodded toward the monitor at the front of the room. Loki was crouched next to the door, glowing slightly on the monitor. 'Why is he glowing?', she asked

'It's just because of the filter we're using. It's not important', Bruce replied, biting on a pen.

'Do you have a plan?'

'Tony thinks that if we pump the cell full of gamma radiation it'll make him lose his magic, temporarily at least'.

'And what do you think?'

Bruce turned, crossed his arms, and looked Natasha in the eyes. 'I think it'll kill him', he said sharply.

Natasha nodded and stepped outside the room to relay the information to Fury.

'Hey, Bruce.'

'Yeah?', Bruce replied, turning to look at Tony.

'Are you ok? You look like shit.'

Bruce grinned and shook his head. 'You really have a way with words, you know.'

'Hey. I'm serious.'

Bruce looked away and shifted his weight uneasily. 'I don't know. It's just. . . I don't like the idea that he might die. And that it'll be my fault, and I'll know what I'm doing. I can't do that, Tony, I can't do it if it'll kill someone.'

Bruce looked into Tony's eyes, hoping that he'd understand. Tony nodded distractedly and bit savagely at his nail.

'I don't like it either, Bruce. It's one thing to go after people when they're killing people, but it's another thing to kill a prisoner. But we need to remember that he's. . . he's a monster, Bruce. He tried to take over the world, and he wasn't afraid to kill to do it. If he gets out he might try again, and more people might die. We can't let that happen, Bruce. We just can't'.

Bruce nodded, looking away. 'Yeah, I know all that. I know we have to do it. I just don't want to.'

Natasha ducked back in. 'Fury says to do it. We can't let him escape. I'm going down there in case Clint needs help'. She turned on her heel and ran off down the corridor.

Bruce and Tony listened to her receding footsteps.

'We don't have to do this', said Tony.

'Yes, we do'

'I know.'

_

Loki crouched next to the door, full of anxiety. Surely they would have noticed that he was missing by now. Surely they would come to check the cell soon. He couldn't hold this spell much longer, and he needed to get out of the cell before his body reappeared so he had a decent chance of escaping.

A sudden hiss came from a vent in the corner of the room, and a stream of pale white gas flowed out. Loki backed away into the far corner and put a corner of his robe across his mouth in an attempt to avoid breathing it in.

The gas filled the room, burning his skin where ever it touched him. Loki curled into a ball, covering as much of his exposed skin as possible. He felt his magic leave him, slowly at first and then faster. Loki cried out in pain and fear, and then coughed as the gas burned his lungs. Within minutes he was lying unconscious on the floor.


	10. Chapter 10

Tony and Bruce stared in shock at the unconscious demigod slumped on the floor. Bruce leaned over Tony and tapped a button on the monitor, turning the gas off.

'Is he ok?'

'I can't tell if he's breathing or not', Bruce replied, biting his lip. 'Is there any way to check?', he asked, looking at Tony.

Tony shook his head. 'We'll need to go in.'

'You can't go in there! That dose of radiation would kill anyone'

'Don't you worry about that, Brucie', replied Tony with a reassuring smile

Four minutes later, Natasha and Tony were in full-body hazmat suits outside the cell door.

'You ready?', Natasha asked. Tony just nodded in reply, suddenly unable to speak. Now that he could see Loki in person through the window of the cell the full realization of what he'd done sunk in.

Natasha tapped in the passcode and the door to Loki's cell swung open. Small wisps of gas floated out the door, only to be sucked up by the powerful fans had Tony set up.

Without a word, the pair moved over to Loki. With a nod from Natasha they lifted him; Tony holding his torso and Natasha holding his legs. They moved quickly out of the cell and placed Loki onto a stretcher in the hallway outside.

Bruce moved over to Loki and checked his pulse. 'He's alive. I think he should be fine when he wakes up.'

'When? Not "if"?', asked Tony

Bruce looked at him. 'This is not the pulse of a dying man, Tony. I know what they feel like, and this isn't one. He should be fine'.

Natasha cleared her throat. 'Sorry to interrupt guys, but Fury needs me and Clint on another job. Keep in contact though; let us know if you need us back here'.

Bruce and Tony nodded and mumbled goodbyes. Natasha and Clint left without another word, leaving them with Loki.

'Are you ok with. . .?', Bruce asked gesturing at Loki. 'He makes me. . . nervous'.

'Yeah, yeah, it's all good. You go do your yoga, or whatever you do to calm down.'

Bruce grinned self consciously and left, tripping on the door frame as he walked through it.

Tony smiled and shook his head, stopping when his gaze fell on the demigod. With an uncomfortable lump in his throat he pushed the stretcher out the door and into the lift.

Tony took Loki upstairs and put him into a spare bedroom. Carefully, he lifted him from the stretcher to the bed. Loki let out a low moan when he was set on the bed. Tony froze, awkwardly holding him, but Loki didn't wake up.

After a moment he set him down and went to leave, but at the last moment he turned and looked at Loki. He shouldn't have to wake up alone after everything he's gone through, Tony thought. Instead, he settled down into a chair in the corner of the room and leaned back. It was going to be a long night.

**I hope you liked this chapter guys! It was so hard to write :3 Please check me out on tumblr at i - like - this - ship .tumblr .com . Just take the spaces out :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Tony woke early the next morning when sunlight came through the open curtains and onto his face. He grumbled and turned over, shading his face. As he turned, he glanced towards Loki's bed.

It was empty.

Tony jumped up and looked around the room quickly.

'Jarvis'

'Yes, sir'

'Where's Loki?', Tony demanded

'In the living area of this floor, sir'

'What's he doing there?'

'Attempting to make breakfast, sir. I suggest you help him, as he refuses to accept help help from a "disembodied android", and I do not know how capable he is with our technology', replied a peeved sounding Jarvis.

Tony smiled in relief and sauntered over to the living area. He leaned against the door frame and watched the demigod. Loki had his back to the door, and was looking at the coffee machine with frustration.

'Hey, Reindeer Games.'

'Stark. I thought you to be asleep', Loki replied, with only a slight twitch of his head showing his surprise.

'I was'. Tony walked over to the counter island and leaned on it. 'I see you can't figure out the coffee machine', he said, grinning. 'It must burn you to have come so close'.

Loki flushed self consciously. 'I would not expect _you_ to use unfamiliar Asgardian technology, Stark', he retorted angrily.

'Hey, it's ok, Loki, I was only kidding. Do you want me to make you something?'

'A coffee, if you would', Loki replied, relaxing a little.

Tony moved around the island to the coffee machine and pressed a few buttons. The machine started gurgling, and he became extremely aware of Loki, who was standing just next to him watching what buttons he'd pushed. To his disappointment, the coffee was ready a moment later and he had to move away so Loki could get the cup.

Loki took his coffee and a piece of fruit from the bowl on the bench and sat on a stool at the island.

'You all good here? Not going to break anything, chuck anyone out a window?'

'No, Stark. You have my word that I shall not cause damage to you or your property for the time being'.

'Ok, well that's comforting. I mean it though; no breaking stuff', Tony said, pointing at Loki as he walked out the room.

Loki smiled to himself. It was strange how comfortable he felt in the home of an enemy. It was good to get a little peace. Unfortunately, it felt all too much like the calm before the storm. He knew it was only a matter of time before Thor grew impatient with him, and if he was unable to transport back he would feel the full force of Asgard's fury.

'So he's not trying to escape or anything?'

'No. He's just sitting there, drinking his coffee', replied Natasha. She put the binoculars down and turned to face Clint. 'It's weird. I don't like it'

'He must be up to something', he replied. 'Any ideas what he might be doing?'

Natasha shook her head. 'Nope. And Tony should really be keeping an eye on him.'

'He probably is'. Clint reached out and took Natasha's hand. 'It'll be ok', he said. 'I know you're worried. Don't even try to hide it. I know you far to well to fall for your usual tricks'.

'I'd just feel better if we were in there with Bruce and Tony in case anything happens. We're too far away from them, Clint. If something goes wrong we might not be able to help in time'.

Natasha pulled away and went back to her binoculars. 'I think Fury might have made the wrong call this time', she said softly without looking at Clint.

**Please review, let me know how I'm going!**


	12. Chapter 12

Tony was down in his workshop tinkering on the balance system on his suit when he got a call.

'Huh. S.H.E.I.L.D', Tony said, checking his phone. He tried to hang up but couldn't. 'Jarvis. Hang up'.

'I can't, sir. My protocols have been overridden. Would you like to accept the call?', came the reply.

'Goddamn it. Fine', Tony said.

'Tony. Why is Loki unguarded?'

'Hi Fury, lovely to see you to.'

'Cut the crap, Tony. Why is he unguarded?'

'Because he almost died last night! I highly doubt he's going to try and make a run for it. And why do I have to babysit him, anyway? Where've your agents gone?', Tony replied angrily.

'Agent Barton and Agent Romanov's locations are none of your concern. And you have to "babysit" Loki because I fucking told you to. The only reason he's still at your tower is because of that little promise he made. As far as we know, you're the only person he isn't going to try and kill as soon as he gets a chance'. Fury paused to take a breath while Tony seethed. 'Now you get up there and you keep an eye on him. See if you can figure out why he's back here. Understood?'

'Fuck you'.

'I can make your life miserable, Tony. I highly recommend you do what I say'. Fury hung up, leaving Tony with a dial tone. He set the phone down and banged his hand on the workbench.

'Goddamn it', he said.

'What did Fury want?', asked Bruce after a moment.

'He says I need to keep an eye on Loki. And I think he's got bugs in my tower. I'll need to take care of that'

'Well, someone probably needs to take care of Loki, and I can't do it. Don't you have a gadget for blocking microphones?'

'Yeah, I've been working on a new security system. It'll be good to test it. But I just don't like Fury telling me what to do.'

Bruce laughed. 'God, Tony! Stop being such a teenager and go make sure Loki doesn't try take over the planet again.'

Tony smiled, tension fading from his face. 'Yeah, I guess somebody needs to. And I am a master of diplomacy'.

Bruce grinned, shook his head and pointed at the door. 'Just get out'.

Loki was reclining on the sofa, reading a newspaper. Tony paused in the doorway for a moment, just to look at him. Loki was wearing a dark green t-shirt which clung to his torso in just the right way, and his jeans. . . Tony had never seen a guy look that good in jeans. He suddenly thought that this babysitting thing might not be too bad after all.

He cleared his throat suddenly, to stop the unwelcome thoughts from invading his mind. Loki looked up, startled, although he'd never show it.

'Stark. What brings you here?', Loki said, sitting up slightly.

'It is my tower, Loki. And isn't that something I should be asking you? I thought you were meant to be back in Asgard', Tony said as he walked across the room. He took a seat on the sofa opposite Loki and leaned back, waiting.

After a moment Loki put his newspaper down and sighed, obviously debating what to tell him.

'You must understand that what I tell you is strictly in confidence, Stark', Loki said after a long moment.

'Ok, sure. I won't tell anyone'. Suddenly Tony wondered if it had been such a good idea to block S.H.E.I.L.D's bugs. Too late for that now, though.

'Alright then'. Loki swung his legs off the sofa and sat with his legs apart looking down at his hands. 'You must understand that I came to Midgard for the good of Asgard, Stark, not for my own reasons. You see, when Thor returned from Midgard after his exile, the Bifrost, our safest form of transport, was destroyed. We can use the Tesseract to travel to other realms, but it isn't accurate. We can set coordinates, but the Tesseract is open to cosmic vibrations which can cause it to send people to the wrong location.'

Tony nodded. 'Ok, I understand all that. But why would you come to Earth if transport was so dangerous? And why would you agree to help the Asgardians?', he asked.

Loki sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'There was a simple way to make the Tesseract safer. If it could lock on to a certain piece of land the cosmic vibrations wouldn't affect it anywhere near as much. Unfortunately, to allow it to lock on to a piece of land a spell needs to be performed.'

'A spell.'

'Yes, Stark. Why do you find that so difficult to believe?'. Loki looked at Tony with such intensity that he needed to look away, needed to distract himself from those piercing green eyes. 'Anyway, that spell requires the caster to be standing on the land which is being bonded to the Tesseract.'

'So you came to Earth to cast a spell?', Tony asked. Loki nodded slowly, sensing that there was more to come. 'But why did you kill all those people? Twenty-nine agents, two civilians. Why?'.

'They were in my way, Stark. That was the only reason I needed.'

Tony looked at Loki. He was looking ahead now, leaning forward, hands clasped together. Sensing that he was being watched, Loki turned his head suddenly, causing a strand of hair to fall over his right eye.

'Don't look so surprised, Stark. I'm a monster. It's in my blood'. Loki smiled half-heartedly. In that moment he looked so lost, so alone, that it took everything Tony had not to go over and kiss him.

Tony leaned forward, unconsciously mimicking Loki's position. 'You can call me Tony, you know. And you still haven't told me why you were working with the Asgardians'.

'There was really no alternative, Sta- Tony. If I refused to cooperate I would have been locked in a cell. And they needed me. No one else on Asgard is as skilled with magic, and some of the Asgardian can be very. . . persuasive when they need to be'.  
'You mean they would have tortured you. And Thor would have allowed it?', Tony asked angrily. Loki just shrugged, clearly not wanting to talk about it any more.

'Well, what happens now? Did you cast the spell?'

Loki nodded in confirmation. 'Unfortunately my magic has begun malfunctioning and I have been unable to teleport back to Asgard. The Bifrost was also the most reliable method of communication between realms, so Thor has no means of knowing this. I fear he shall think I attempted to flee, and that he shall come after me'.

'Can't he just zap you back with the Tesseract though? Shouldn't it be working now?', Tony asked.

Loki shook his head. 'In order to use the Tesseract you must be in contact with it'.

'Do you want to go back?'. Tony looked up, meeting Loki's eyes and holding his gaze, refusing to be the first to look away.

'Don't you see, Tony? I have no other option. They will find me. No matter where I go, they will find me.'

**REVIEW! Come on guys, it only takes a second :3**


	13. Chapter 13

Loki stood and walked into the hall, closing the door with a soft click behind him. He went over the the large window at the end of the hall and leaned on the frame, looking out at the city below him.

Tony came into the hallway soon after and stood behind Loki, shifting his weight from foot to foot anxiously.

'Loki', he said softly. 'C'mon, Loki, talk to me.'

Loki turned and looked at Tony, not even bothering to hide his emotions. 'Talking would achieve nothing', he replied.

'Loki. Let me help you.'

'How could _you_ possibly help me, Stark? How?', Loki replied, suddenly full of anger. He took a step toward Tony, who backed away holding his hands up. He felt the wall against his back and swallowed as Loki continued to advance.

'You have no idea about what you are meddling with, Stark', he snarled. Loki continued walking forward until he was mere inches away from Tony. 'You can't help', he said softly, mood changing in the blink of an eye again. 'No one can'.

Tony cleared his throat, incredibly aware of how close they were. Loki blinked in surprise and seemed to suddenly become aware of where he was. His eyes flicked down to Tony's lips and he smiled to himself.

Before he had a chance to change his mind, Tony leaned forward and kissed Loki softly on the lips. Loki's eyes widened but he didn't pull away, and after a moment he kissed Tony back, softly at first but then more demandingly.

Loki moved forward so that Tony was pushed against the wall. Tony made a low growl in the back of his throat which only made Loki kiss him harder. Tony pulled away, smiling and gasping for breath. Loki kissed the crook of his neck, and then sucked on it, leaving a trail of red and purple circles from Tony's collarbone to his ear. Tony growled again and Loki, unable to resist anymore, teleported the pair the short distance to the nearest bedroom.

Tony looked around in surprise, but then shrugged and fell back onto the bed, pulling Loki down with him. Loki kissed him again, and then with a wicked grin and wave of his hand made both of their clothes disappear.

Tony woke in a slight daze with little idea of what had happened the night before. As he woke properly and saw Loki lying next to him the memories came flooding back. Loki was face down on the bed with one arm flung over Tony's chest, almost like he was claiming him. Their legs were tangled together and Loki's hair was disheveled. As he watched, Loki turned his head and nuzzled the crook of Tony's neck.

'G'morning', Tony said quietly.

Loki opened one eye and looked up and down Tony's chest. He smiled slyly. 'Why yes it is, Stark.'

'Tony.'

Loki looked up. 'What?', he asked.

'Call me Tony, will you? We've slept together, I think that puts us on first name basis.'

Loki smiled and nestled back in next to Tony. 'Agreed', he said just before he drifted back off to sleep.

**REVIEW!**


	14. Chapter 14

When Tony woke again later that morning he was alone. He sat up and looked around for his clothes before remembering that Loki had disappeared them. Sighing, he got up, put on a silk dressing gown he found in the closet, and went into the lounge.

Loki was sitting at the kitchen counter sipping at a steaming cup of coffee and flicking through one of Pepper's old magazines. Tony walked over and got a cup of coffee and leaned on the bench opposite Loki, just looking at him.

Loki looked up for a moment and smiled at Tony. All at once Tony was struck by how _human_ Loki looked. He looked happy, properly happy, for the first time Tony had seen, and there was no trace of the psychotic man who threw him out the window all those weeks ago.

He smiled back, chest full of warmth, because he knew it was him who'd made Loki smile like that. Loki stood and walked around the island, stopping directly in front of Tony. Without a word, he leaned in and kissed Tony softly on the lips. Tony tasted coffee, sweeter than he had his, and then it was over far too soon.

Tony made a small noise of displeasure, and then he felt the soft pressure of Loki's lips on his again. Tony reached up and held Loki's shoulders, pulling him in closer. Loki put his arms around Tony and trailed his fingers up and down Tony's spine before finally settling his hands on Tony's waist.

'Care to go again?', he murmured into Tony's ear.

Tony began to nod, but then stopped.

'We can't', he mumbled.

Loki stepped back, the hurt plainly visible in his eyes even though he tried to hide it.

'What do you mean? I thought -'. Loki stopped and turned away, angrily blinking tears from his eyes.

Tony sighed and reached for Loki's shoulder, but stopped before he touched it. Instead he put his arm down and moved around to Loki's side.

'I didn't mean it like that, Loki. I want. . .'. Tony gestured to Loki '. . . this. It's just that we need to talk about stuff'. Tony reached out and curled his fingers around Loki's. 'Loki. Please.'

Loki turned to face Tony without pulling his hand away. 'What do you mean?', he asked guardedly.

'Your magic. How did you do that last night? I thought you couldn't use it.'

'I said it was malfunctioning, Tony. I can still use it for small tricks like last nights. However, I can't use it to teleport myself back to Asgard. It isn't strong enough; I can't be sure that it wouldn't stop working and leave me stranded in some godforsaken corner of the universe'.

Loki held Tony's gaze for a long second, then looked down at Tony's hand and gently closed his fingers around Tony's.

Tony breathed out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. Slowly, he moved toward Loki until he was standing so close that he needed to tilt his head up to see Loki's eyes. Loki tilted his head forward until their noses touched and then they kissed, softly and tenderly.

The kiss only lasted a moment, but it said far more than words ever could. It was a kiss of sorrow and forgiveness. It was a kiss of regrets and pain. But most of all, it was a kiss of longing. And neither Tony nor Loki were men who denied themselves something they wanted.


	15. Chapter 15

Tony and Bruce were in the workshop again later that evening when Tony's phone rang. He looked at the screen and groaned.

'What?', asked Bruce, looking up from his laptop.

'Fury again. Goddammit', Tony replied and flipped his phone open. 'Fury. Going to yell at me again, I assume'

'Damn right, Stark. What the hell are you thinking, letting the single most dangerous man on the planet wander around your tower without supervision? We talked about this Tony. Keep. A fucking. Eye. On. Him'. Fury's voice rose to a shout. Tony rolled his eyes as he continued. 'I have enough shit going on at the moment without having to remind you to watch Loki. Do you even know where he is?'

'Of course I know where he is! He's in the lounge. You don't need to be in the same room as somebody to know where they are', Tony snapped as he paced the room. 'This is the 21st century and I'm Tony fucking Stark. I have a few tricks up my sleeve'.

'Have you even figured out what he wants yet?'

'As a matter of fact I have', Tony replied smugly.

'Wh- And you're only mentioning this now? What the fuck does he want, Tony?'

Tony paused for a moment, relishing Fury's frustration.

'Tony. Answer me'

Tony rolled his eyes. 'He wants to go back to Asgard'.

Fury hissed in exasperation.

'Then why the fuck is he still here?', he shouted suddenly.

'Because you guys fucked up his magic and now he _can't get back_. This is on _you_, Fury. If you'd left him alone he'd be gone by now', Tony yelled.

'He killed 31 people, Stark. Was I supposed to just ignore that? Just let him go and hope he'd leave us alone? Listen to yourself, Stark'.

'No, you listen. Did you even figure out what he was doing, or did you just run in with your guns blazing?'

'For fucks sake, Stark! What does it matter? He's a war criminal. He's a monster. It wouldn't have made any difference what he was doing!'. Fury stopped talking suddenly and Tony heard voices on the other end of the line.

'This conversation isn't over, Stark. Keep an eye on Loki and figure out a way to get him out of here'. Fury hung up and Tony was left seething with the dial tone in his ear again.

Tony looked around in frustration and then strode out the door, pushing it open with far more force than necessary.

'Tony', called Bruce.

Tony stopped a few steps down the hallway. 'Not now, Bruce. Whatever it is, it can wait.'

Bruce found Tony on the roof two hours later, drunk. A half empty bottle of whiskey sat next to Tony.

Bruce moved forward and took the bottle away. 'I think you've had enough of this', he said as he sat down.

'Yeah, you're probably right', Tony slurred. 'Y'can have some if y'want.'

Bruce shook his head. 'I can't drink'

Tony nodded and slumped backwards so that he was looking at the sky. Small tinges of pink were appearing on the horizon.

'Isn't there something you're meant to be doing?', Bruce asked.

Tony grunted and covered his eyes with his hand.

'Tony. Fury sounded pretty angry'.

'Man, fuck Fury. Fuck Loki, too. Oh wait - I already have'. Tony smiled at Bruce and leaned on his elbow. 'And it was awesome', he whispered.

Bruce looked away and then slumped back so he was lying next to Tony. 'I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that', he said quietly.

Tony flopped back onto his back. 'Yeah, s'probably a good idea. Where is Loki anyway?'

Bruce took a phone out of his pocket and tapped the screen. A map of Tony's house came on screen with one glowing dot in one of the corners. 'He's in one of the bedrooms', he replied, showing Tony the screen.

Tony took the phone. 'You got a tracker on him?', he asked. 'I'm impressed'.

'He wasn't happy about it, but I don't think he wanted to go head to head with the other guy again'.

Tony smirked and yawned. 'How long have you been up for, Tony?', asked Bruce.

Tony shrugged. 'Haven't had a decent sleep in a couple of days', he replied.

Bruce stood up and reached out a hand for Tony. 'Come on then, lets get you to bed'.

'Aw, Brucie, you know I love you but I'm taken', Tony joked as Bruce pulled him to his feet.

'Yeah, whatever', grumbled Bruce as he took Tony inside


	16. Chapter 16

It was almost noon by the time Tony woke. He dragged himself into the shower and just stood there, letting the water pummel him while he tried to will away his headache.

After a while Tony got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He was just about to shave when he heard a soft knock on the door.

'Tony', came a quiet voice.

'What do you want?', moaned Tony. 'Can't you just leave me here to die?'.

Loki opened the door and slipped into the bathroom. 'Evidently not', he replied, walking over to Tony. Loki leaned in and gently kissed Tony. A small glow of blue magic passed through their lips and dissolved into Tony's temples, instantly curing his hangover.

'Whoa', Tony murmured, instantly feeling more awake. 'I guess your magic's coming along then'.

Loki nodded without making eye contact. 'I think I will be able to make the journey by tonight', he said quietly.

Tony pulled Loki into a hug. 'Loki, I'm so sorry'.

'It's for the best', Loki mumbled into Tony's shoulder. 'I need to get back before Thor comes searching for me'.

Tony nodded and pressed his lips against the top of Loki's head. 'I know', he whispered. 'But that doesn't mean I have to like it'.

Eventually he pulled away and brushed a tear off Loki's face. 'It'll be ok', he said, holding Loki's shoulders. 'Come back here when you can, ok?'.

Loki nodded and pulled away. 'I will need to start preparing for the spell now', he said. 'And I will need your help', he added, looking at Tony.

'Sure. Anything. What do you need me to do?'

'I need you to draw a symbol'. Loki pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Tony. 'This symbol on the roof. It will help me channel my powers'.

Tony looked at the symbol and nodded. 'Ok', he murmured and kissed Loki.

'Hey, Clint. Look at this'.

'What is it?', Clint asked Natasha as he got his binoculars out.

'I'm not sure. It looks like Tony's spray painting something on his roof'.

'Huh', Clint said. 'Do you think we should tell Coulson?', he asked, looking over to Natasha.

Natasha thought about it for a moment. 'It's probably nothing', she replied. 'It could be for a test or something'.

'Still, Fury wanted to know about anything going on here'.

'Yeah, you're right. I'll call it in', Natasha sighed.

'Ok, thanks for telling me, Natasha. I'm a bit busy at the moment, but I'll go check it out later this afternoon'.

Coulson paused for a moment and listened to Natasha. 'No, it's fine. You two just keep watching and let me know if anything else out of the ordinary happens. Just make sure Loki doesn't leave the building'.

Coulson pressed a button on his headset and turned back to Agent Hill.

'What was that about?', she asked.

'I'm sure it's nothing. Just Stark up to his usual tricks. I'll look into it later', Coulson replied.

**Apologies for the shortish chapter! I'll be wrapping this up soon, so if there's anything you'd like included put it into a review and I'll see if I can make it happen :)**


	17. Chapter 17

'Would you sit down, Tony?', Bruce asked in exasperation. Tony had been pacing the length of the workshop for the past ten minutes, and it was starting to get on his nerves.

'This is bad, Bruce. This is really bad', Tony replied distractedly, running his fingers through his hair.

'And you pacing around won't do anything to help'. Bruce paused and turned back to the computer screen. 'Are you sure this is right?', he asked, gesturing to the screen.

'Yes, of course I'm sure', Tony snapped. He walked over to the computer and read the emails again, almost as if he were hoping that the message had changed.

_- Director Fury_

_Suspicious activity reported at Avengers Tower. Request permission to investigate_  
_Agent C._

_- Agent Coulson_

_Permission granted._  
_Director F._

'So what do we do?', Bruce asked anxiously.

Tony bit at his nail. 'I'll see if I can do anything to help Loki. You stay down here, keep an eye on the cameras. We'll see if we can get Clint and Natasha in to hold Coulson up'.

Tony shook his head in frustration. 'No, what am I saying?', he groaned. 'Clint and Natasha are probably the ones who let Coulson know'.

'Speaking of which', Bruce interrupted. 'Do you know what Coulson's talking about? Because there's been a shit load of "suspicious activity" going on around here recently".

'And what's that supposed to mean?', Tony shot back.

'Nothing. Forget I said anything', Bruce mumbled, looking away.

'No!'. Tony grabbed Bruce's shoulder and spun him around. 'If there's something you want to say to me you'd better fucking say it'.

Bruce glared at Tony. 'Fine. I think it's really _fucking_ stupid of you to be running around with Loki. And now Coulson's involved?', Bruce snapped.

Bruce turned and walked a few steps away. 'I just think you might have forgotten where your loyalties lie, Tony', he said in a softer voice.

Tony didn't bother to reply. He just walked out, slamming the door behind him.  
'I'm really sorry about this, Tony', whispered Bruce as he got his phone out.

'Hello? Agent Coulson? It's me, Bruce. Look - there's something you need to know'


	18. Chapter 18

Tony was pouring himself a drink from the bar on the top floor when his alarm went off. He swore and tapped on his StarkPad to find out what had happened.

It was one of Tony's communication alerts, the one he set up last night. It was monitoring all S.H.E.I.L.D's emails and recent files to see if he was mentioned. Then, depending on context and priority level, it would set off an alarm.

This particular alert was the one Tony had been dreading. A top-priority file which mentioned him at least a dozen times.

Tony opened the file and skim-read the summary. He would have preferred to read the whole report of course, but the summary let him know that there wouldn't be enough time for that.

Tony drained his drink and slammed the glass down on the counter. He needed to find Bruce quickly. Before he could fuck anything else up.

Bruce was in the workshop again, making a coffee. He turned when he heard Tony come in, smiling nervously.

'Do you have something you want to tell me, Bruce?', Tony demanded.

Bruce swallowed anxiously. 'Look, Tony. Can we just -', he pleaded.

'Just what, Bruce?', Tony spat. 'You fucking sold me out. Just ran to Coulson, right when I needed your help'.  
'Just listen to me, Tony!', Bruce yelled. He stopped suddenly and turned away.

After a moment of tense silence he continued speaking. 'You think I wanted to tell Coulson? I don't like the government any more than you do. But you can't expect me to blindly follow you. What you and Loki do - that's your own business. I just think it's clouding your judgement'.

'And what's that supposed to mean?', Tony interrupted.

'It means he's an enemy. No - don't argue with me', Bruce said, holding up a hand as he saw that Tony was about to interrupt again. 'He is. And now you're going to let him zap off to god-knows-where because you suddenly trust him?'

'He's going to Asgard, Bruce. He's working with Thor.'

'Oh yes. He's working with _Thor_ now. Working for the good of Asgard. And _why_ would he do that, Tony? He _hates_ Thor, in case you hadn't noticed. I doubt he'd just decide to switch sides like that'.

Tony glared at Bruce. A small muscle twitched in his jaw.

'Tony', Bruce said softly. 'Why do you believe him?'

Tony opened his mouth to speak, but just shrugged instead.

'Tony, I'm sorry. Just talk to me'.

Tony walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He swirled it in the glass and leaned back against a wall, debating how much to tell Bruce.

'They. . . They tortured him, Bruce. He didn't have a choice; he _had_ to come here. And then we. . . we fucked his magic up and he couldn't get back, and he needs to before Thor comes looking for him'.

'Why? What did they need him to do?', Bruce asked.

Tony raised one shoulder in a lazy imitation of a shrug. 'Something about casting a spell to make the Tesseract work better. Apparently no one else could do it'.

Bruce bit his lip. 'And you believe him? You trust him?', he asked.

Tony nodded.

'Ok', Bruce said. 'How can I help?'

'Wait- what?', Tony asked, surprised.

'I don't trust Loki, but I trust you. I want to help'.

Tony smiled and downed the rest of his drink. 'Well, you can start by telling me exactly what you told Coulson', he said.

Bruce ran a hand through his hair. 'I told him Loki was trying to teleport out of here. That's it'.

'And they wrote a five page report on that?', Tony asked skeptically.

'Well it was a bit more detailed than that, Tony. And I had to explain that symbol on the roof', Bruce replied exasperatedly.

'Wait. How did they know about that?'

Bruce shrugged. 'I guess we're under surveillance. Are you sure they don't have any cameras in here?', he asked.

Tony nodded. 'Yeah, I'm sure. No microphones either'.

'I'd better go warn Loki', Tony continued after a moments pause. 'Do you know when they're going to get here?'

Bruce shook his head. 'No', he said. 'But they probably won't be far away'.


	19. Chapter 19

Loki had claimed one of the rooms on the top floor to prepare for the spell. He sat cross-legged on the floor in the center of the room, meditating. All the furniture had been pushed roughly over to the walls, out of the way. An erie blue glow radiated out from Loki, filling the room.

Tony pushed the door open, knocking on the door frame as he did so to alert Loki to his presence. When there was no response Tony leaned against the wall, doing his best to fight the rising anxiety. He didn't want to interrupt Loki, but he needed to get him out of here, _now_.

Tony walked over to Loki and, after a moments hesitation, sat on the ground in front of him.

'Hey, Loki. I, um, I know this isn't the best time, but you kind of need to go. Now', Tony said hoarsely. 'There are people coming to get you'.

After a moment Loki's eyes opened and he nodded.

'Very well', he replied. In one fluid motion Loki rose to his feet and looked around the room. 'I believe I will be able to complete the journey'.

Loki reached a hand out for Tony and pulled him to his feet. Tony swayed for a moment and stepped in closer to Loki, wrapping his free arm around his waist. 'You stay safe, Loki. Understand?', Tony murmured.

Loki nodded and kissed Tony softly. 'Of course', he replied.

For a moment neither of them moved and just stood with each other, possibly for the last time. Then, with one last kiss, Loki pulled away.

'I suppose I should go then', Loki said. 'Before they get here'.

Tony nodded, unable to speak around the lump in his throat. Loki walked away, battle armour materializing on his body as he left the room.

'Anything happening?', Natasha asked Clint.

'No. Just that weird glow on the top floor, but I can't see in the windows. We're at the wrong angle', he replied.

'Ok, well we're going in', Natasha said.

Clint looked up in surprise. 'Now?', he asked

'Yeah. Coulson just called us in. Apparently Loki's going to try and make a break for it, and that symbol on the roof is to help him teleport'.

'God fucking damn it', Clint groaned. 'I miss the good old days. Y'know, when it was just _people_, not fucking demi-gods who can zap to a different planet when they're losing'.

Natasha rolled her eyes. 'Well, get over it. Come on, you've been dying to get a little revenge. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet'.

Clint grinned. 'Like I'd miss this', he said. 'Magic-boy needs taken down a peg or two'.

**Please review! It honestly makes my day**

**Also, check out my tumblr! i - like - this - ship . tumblr . com (just take out the spaces)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Ok I'm so sorry for not updating in like a week, but I'm wanting to get a couple of chapters up tonight (maybe even finish it) to make up for it  
**

Coulson, along with several other S.H.E.I.L.D agents, stared at Bruce in disbelief.

'What do you mean "no"?', Coulson demanded. 'Step aside, Bruce. This is a matter of global security'.

Bruce shifted his weight from foot to foot. 'I mean it, Coulson', he said. 'I. . . I can't let you do this'.

Coulson started to walk across the foyer to the elevator but stopped when Bruce moved into his path. 'Coulson, don't do this. Just trust me. It's for the best'.

'You don't get to decide that, Bruce', Coulson replied icily. 'And you seemed pretty sure that it was for the best earlier. What changed your mind?'.

Bruce swallowed and looked away.

'I thought so', Coulson replied. 'Now move'.

'No. No! Nobody move. You're all staying right here', Bruce said in a rush, fighting the rising panic. He couldn't let any of the agents get to Tony and Loki, just couldn't. 'And don't bother shooting me, Coulson. I'm the only thing holding the other guy back. You knock me out and it won't end well for you'.

Coulson nodded slowly and reached inside his suit jacket. He pulled his gun out of his shoulder holster and placed it on the ground, signaling for the other agents to do the same.

'Ok, Bruce. Just take it easy', he said, mind racing. As he stood he turned slightly, shielding his hands from Bruce's view, and pressed a button on his watch three times.

On the street opposite the Avengers Tower, Natasha stopped suddenly, grabbing Clint's hand to pull him to a halt.

'What?', Clint asked, instantly on high alert.

'Coulson's in trouble', she replied, showing Clint her matching watch, which had lit up red.

'Shit. I'll call in and see where he is'.

After a tense moment, Clint was talking to a S.H.E.I.L.D dispatcher.

He turned to Natasha. 'He's in the Avenger's Tower. They got his alert too. We need to go in and help. Stopping Loki is still our first priority though'.

Natasha nodded. 'Okay then', she said. After a moments thought she continued. 'I think I know another way to get in through the vents'.

'Okay then. Let's go'.

**Short chapter! Apologies. . .**


	21. Chapter 21

**Woo! Two chapters in one night!**

'Shit, Natasha! Stairs were invented for a reason, you know', Clint whispered to Natasha as they climbed up a vertical vent.

'Shut up, Clint. Only one more floor', Natasha grunted. She was climbing up by bracing her back against one side and moving her arms and legs up, almost like crawling. Clint had gone first, and was pushing himself up by bracing his arms and legs against opposite sides of the vent.

After another agonizingly long minute Clint reached a horizontal vent. With a grunt he maneuvered himself into it, feet first, and reached back to pull Natasha into the vent. He shuffled back awkwardly until his feet touched a grate. After a nod from Natasha confirmed that the room behind it was empty, Clint turned onto his back and kicked the grate, hard.

The first kick didn't do anything, but the second and third dented the grate, and the fourth kick made it fly away from the wall, hitting a coffee table. Clint and Natasha climbed out of the vent, hoping the noise hadn't alerted anyone to their presence.

Neither of them recognized the room, but a glance out the window showed that it was on the fourth or fifth floor on the north facing side.

'Come on. We need to get to the roof', Natasha said.

'Fantastic. You got another great plan for that?', Clint asked sarcastically.

Natasha shrugged. 'Elevator?', she replied.

Loki stood on the roof in the centre of the symbol Tony had spray painted. He began chanting in a low tone and a blue glow began to radiate from his body. After a moment Tony realised that Loki himself was turning blue. Cryptic lines appeared on his skin, and, when he opened his eyes, Tony saw that they were orange.

Tony's phone beeped, demanding his attention. He checked it distractedly, then swore. With one last glance back at Loki, Tony went inside and answered his phone.

'Fury. This isn't exactly the best time', Tony said as he paced the length of the room.

'What the hell is going on in there, Stark? Coulson's sent out a distress signal from your fucking foyer. Please at _least_ tell me you have the Loki situation under control'.

Tony turned so that he could see Loki out the window. The blue glow had deepened and was more like a mist now, swirling around Loki's body. 'Well Loki is never "under control" per se, but I'm on it', Tony replied.

Out of the corner of Tony's eye he saw the lights on the elevator change as it rose. He swore under his breath and raised the phone to his ear again. 'I. . . I'll call you back when I get this sorted, Fury', he said and hung up on the Director. The phone rang again immediately, so Tony just put it on silent and threw it onto the nearest sofa.

'Jarvis. Who's in the elevator?'

The television blinked on, showing the footage from the security camera in the elevator. 'I believe it is Miss Natasha Romanov and Mr Clint Barton based on their physical attributes, gait and speech patterns, sir', Jarvis replied. 'I believe they entered through the vents again. However, I was under strict instructions not to disturb you, so-'

'Yeah, yeah, shut up Jarvis', Tony interrupted. He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. 'What floor are they on?'

'They're on the floor below this one. Sir', Jarvis replied icily. 'They will be here in a moment'.

Tony swore again. 'Jarvis, black out any windows they could see Loki through', he said. Jarvis did so immediately, shielding Loki from Natasha and Clint's view as they emerged from the elevator.

'Hello, Tony', Natasha said. 'Fury's not very happy with you, you know. Something about five S.H.E.I.L.D agents - including Coulson - being kept hostage in your foyer. Not that you'd have _anything_ to do with that'.

**Review! I'm thinking this might be done in another couple of chapters (but I don't really know - I never planned on it being this long :P)**


	22. Chapter 22

Tony swallowed and walked over to the bar, carefully staying between the two spies and the door out to the balcony. 'Would you like a drink?', he asked. When there was no reply he continued. 'Suit yourselves then. I'm going have one th-'

'_Tony_', Natasha growled. Tony froze and slowly turned so that he could see Natasha and Clint. 'What the fuck is going on here?', Natasha demanded.

Tony didn't speak for a moment as his mind raced to find a plausible explanation. At a nod from Natasha, Clint walked over to the windows and tried to look out, pressing his face next to the glass to try and see out.

'Shit. Natasha, you'd better get a look at this', he said. With one last glare at Tony, Natasha turned and walked over to Clint and peered out the window. A blue glow had begun to shine through the windows, making it easier for Natasha and Clint to see out.

Natasha swore as she made sense of what was happening and ran over to the door. When she pulled the door open the room was flooded with blue light, blinding her for a moment. Tony ran up behind Natasha and tried to grab her, but Clint tackled him before he could reach her. Tony cracked his head against the floor when he landed, and the last thing he saw before everything went black was Natasha's silhouette running out the door.

_A few minutes earlier_

Loki stood in the symbol which would focus his power and began the spell he had memorized eons ago. As he chanted he felt his Asgardian facade fade away to be replaced by his Frost Giant form. A rushing sound filled his ears, a side effect of using such a huge amount of magic, but he was still able to hear Tony walking away from him and going into the house.

There was no doubt in Loki's mind that Tony, like so many others, was repulsed by his true form, but he pushed the thought down. He couldn't afford to be distracted, not now.

As Loki neared the end of his chant the blue glow intensified. The rushing sound was louder now too, so loud that Loki could barely hear himself. Despite this, he was still able to sense the presence of two people on the roof. To his alarm he realised that one of them, the archer he had controlled, was aiming at him.

With a flick of his hand Loki made a tendril of magic knock the archer across the roof, hitting him into a wall. The archer crumpled at the base of the wall and the woman froze for a split second, clearly debating whether to try and stop Loki or help the man.

Then the woman snapped into action, pulling a gun from the holster on her waist and firing at Loki, forcing him to use some more precious magic to stop the bullets.

The woman threw her gun away, pulling another - presumably fully loaded - one out of another holster. Behind her, Loki saw Tony, blood all down one side of his face, stagger out of the door, whiskey bottle in hand. With a sickening _crack_ Tony hit the woman around the head with the whiskey bottle, causing her to crumple to the ground.

Loki began chanting again, desperate to leave before anyone else turned up, forcing him to use more power to stop them. Then, in a burst of blue light, he was gone, leaving behind only a smell of gasoline and a patch of scorched roof inside the symbol.


End file.
